Beijing moves to bolster its Great Firewall of China

China is to seal itself off from much of the global internet by blocking virtual private networks, in what observers see as a wider assault on freedom of speech under Xi Jinping, the Chinese president.

The move, which was first reported by Bloomberg News, would make it almost impossible for web-users in China to browse overseas websites.

Beijing runs a huge online censorship programme which deletes content that criticises the ruling Communist Party or its policies, while an online "50 cent army" are paid to post pro-government comments.

Foreign websites such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, which authorities are unable to control, are blocked in China by what is known as the Great Firewall. However, some Chinese, and many foreigners who live in China, use virtual private networks, or VPNs, to bypass the virtual barrier.

President Xi is likely to further cement his power at the 19th Party Congress, after a first term which has seen a general tightening of freedoms in ChinaCredit:
REUTERS/Jason Lee

Bloomberg said that China’s leading telecommunications companies have been ordered to crackdown on the use of such tools. The move will not only restrict the work of multinational companies who operate in China, but will also seal Chinese online users from any messages of dissent from overseas websites.

China announced in January that it would launch a “cleaning up” operation against unauthorized VPNs, but that crackdown was not understood to be directed against overseas-based VPN providers, which are commonly used by foreigners.

Next year’s crackdown would come months after this autumn’s 19th Party Congress, a twice-a-decade political gathering of the Communist Party of China. President Xi is likely to further cement his power at the meeting, after a first term which has seen a general tightening of freedoms in China.

Foreign companies were last year advised by authorities that they would “do well” to register their websites in China.

China passed a wide-ranging national security law in 2015 which requires key Internet and information systems to be “secure and controllable”.